Austria to shut down mosques, expel foreign-funded imams

Austria's right-wing government
plans to shut down seven mosques and expel up to 40 imams in
what it said was "just the beginning" of a push against Islamist
ideology and foreign funding of religious groups.

The coalition government, an alliance of conservatives and
the far right, came to power soon after Europe's migration
crisis on promises to prevent another influx and clamp down on
benefits for new immigrants and refugees.

In a previous job as minister in charge of integration,
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz oversaw the passing of a tough "law on
Islam" in 2015, which banned foreign funding of religious groups
and created a duty for Muslim societies to have "a positive
fundamental view towards (Austria's) state and society".

"Political Islam's parallel societies and radicalising
tendencies have no place in our country," Kurz told a news
conference outlining the government's decisions, which were
based on that law.

Austria, a country of 8.8 million people, has roughly
600,000 Muslim inhabitants, most of whom are Turkish or have
families of Turkish origin.

One society that runs a mosque in Vienna and is influenced
by the "Grey Wolves", a Turkish nationalist youth group, would
be shut down for operating illegally, the government said in a
statement.

An Arab Muslim group that runs at least six mosques would
also be shut down, it added.

"This is just the beginning," far-right Vice Chancellor
Heinz-Christian Strache told the news conference held by four
cabinet members.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the move
was the result of an "Islamophobic, racist and discriminatory
wave" in Austria and was an attempt to target Muslim communities
for political gains.

"The Austrian government's ideologically charged practices
are in violation of universal legal principles, social
integration policies, minority rights and the ethics of
co-existence," he tweeted.

"Efforts to normalise Islamophobia and racism must be
rejected under all circumstances."

The ministers said up to 60 imams belonging to ATIB, a
Muslim group close to the Turkish government, could be expelled
from the country or have visas denied on grounds of receiving
foreign funding.

A government handout put the number at 40, of whom 11 were
under review and two had already received a negative ruling.